Cigar making machines



K. HAGENAH ETAL CIGAR MAKIN April 10, 1962 G MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 3, 1958 INVENTORS K Z4 Hage na 1 TPZ'GrS ki v v, w v

April 10, 1962 Filed March 5, 1958 K- HAGENAH ETAL CIGAR MAKING MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 many Filed Mar. 3, 1958, Ser. No. 718,608 Claims priority, application Germany Mar. 7, 1957 16 Claims. (Cl. 131-21) The invention relates to cigar making machines and is particularly directed to a device for supplying inside leaf or filler tobacco to cigar rolling machines in which above the supply container for the cigar rolling machine there is arranged a tobacco collecting container, the filling and emptying of which is automatically controlled by the amount of tobacco used by the cigar rolling machine.

It is an. object of the invention to connect the above mentioned tobacco collecting container with the discharge end or the discharge ends of a pneumatically operated tobacco conveyor pipe, the inlet suction fitting of which is arranged below the discharge end of a silo-like storage container the lower outlet of which is provided with a discharge device.

This advantageous arrangement of the silo-like storage container does not limit its location to one adjacent the cigar rolling machine, but it is possible to arrange all silos to be supplied with the same type of tobacco at a remote location where the filler tobacco is stored in order to be refilled there in a simple manner. the silos and the devices associated therewith are dimensioned suitably, then a number of cigar making machines can be supplied by a single silo.

Since the supply of a cigar making machine with uniform quantities of filler tobacco requires also that each amount has a uniform density, it is obvious that the uniform discharge of the tobacco from the silo is of particular importance. It was discovered that the tobacco in the conical discharge funnel of the silo has the tendency to form bridge-like barriers, and, therefore, to overcome this disadvantage the present invention provides above the roller, which is provided with an axially extending groove and is arranged in the discharge opening of the silo so as to close this discharge opening, a tobacco loosening and guiding device consisting of a number of Wobble discs. The wobble discs are arranged in a suitable distance from each other on a shaft which is arranged parallel to and above the first mentioned roller in the discharge opening of the silo outlet opening. Furthermore, the circumferential edges of these wobble discs are arranged within the range of the discharge roller very close to the circumference of the same.

The separation of the predetermined amount of tobacco for forming a tobacco filler at the conical discharge end of a supply container by means of a groove in the circumference of a roller and extending parallel to the axis of said roller is known. Such a roller rotates once for each predetermined amount of tobacco separated from the supply in the supply container. The filling of the groove of the roller is assisted by means of a plug member which moves along one of the two side walls of the conical discharge end portion of the supply container. Such small predetermined amounts of tobacco which weigh only a few grams and are sufiicient to form one filling may be conveyed without difiicu-lties, particularly since the total weight of the tobacco mass in the supply container and which rests upon the roller is very small. However, for the purpose of a uniform discharge of tobacco from a much larger silo-like supply container as it is used in the present invention which relates to cigar making machines, such a well known discharge device is'not suitable. The

Furthermore, when- States Patent $323,865 Patented Apr. 10, 1952 ice mentioned plug member would have the disadvantage that the tobacco, before it is discharged into the pneumatic conveyor pipe, would be precompressed and that would not be an advantage with regard to a careful treatment of the tobacco or in regard to a uniform distribution of the same into the suction fitting of the pneumatic conveyor pipe.

It is, therefore, another object of the invention to arrange above the mentioned discharge roller the already mentioned wobble discs on a separate shaft which is mounted parallel to said roller. Such a wobble disc device has the advantage over the mentioned plug members that the drive of the same is much simpler than the drive mechanism necessary to produce a reciprocating movement of said plug members. According to the present invention the mentioned discharge roller and the shaft having the wobble discs secured thereto are driven by a single endless chain in a very simple manner.

If now, as heretofore proposed, the mentioned discharge roller is provided with a groove extending parallel to the axis of the roller, then the supply of the pneumatic tobacco conveyor pipe with tobacco would be intermittently corresponding to the number of rotations of said roller. However, it is also known that a continuous supply of tobacco for a pneumatic conveyor pipe, filling a tobacco collecting container, has a substantial advantage and would be preferable. Therefore, it is still another object of the present invention to provide a continuous feeding of the pneumatic conveyor pipe with tobacco and for this purpose the invention provides a helical groove on the circumference of the discharge roller. Furthermore, in order to assure that the tobacco is continuously supplied and also with uniform density, the helical groove is so arranged that the beginning of the groove and the end of the same are arranged on an axis which extends parallel to the axis of the roller.v This helical groove or recess has the sole purpose to receive tobacco from the container and move it downwardly and to drop it into the suction fitting of the pneumatic conveyor pipe. Any axial movement of the tobacco as would occur when using a well known conveyor worm is not intended and does not take place. All of the tobacco which is received by the helical groove is immediately and continuously conveyed to the suction fitting of the pneumatic conveyor pipe and this has the advantage that the cross section of the conveyor pipe may be substantially reduced.

In quite a number of types of tobacco the relatively small axialmovement of the wobble discs is not sufficient to convey the tobacco downwardly without the formation of bridge-like barriers. An attempt to increase the inclination of the wobble discs with respect to their axis of rotation beyond a certain angle proved, however, to be a failure. The forces which during such an increase in the inclination of the wobble discs are produced in the tobacco, will be so great that they could destroy the container.

One should also consider that, when the two angles which the walls of the silo adjacent the roller form with the circumference of the roller are not correctly deter-- mined, that then the tobacco in view of the incorrect dimensions of these angles would tend to back up in the discharge hopper. This causes the formation of hard lumps of tobacco. Therefore, it is not only important to select a correct size of these two angles but also a correct amount of tobacco which during each rotation of the discharge roller is received by the groove in the latter.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a stiffening of the wobble discs with respect to each other by providing reinforcement members, for instance bars, extending parallel to and spaced from the axis of rotation of the wobble discs, so that the wobble discs are connected with each other. Furthermore, as an additional object of the invention the roller with the groove or the so-called measuring roller in the outlet opening of the silo is provided on its circumference with bar-shaped projections. This has the result that a sufficient discharge capacity is assured and also the required conveying movement of the tobacco in a downward direction.

The arrangement of the reinforcement bars on the wobble discs prevents any backing up of tobacco adjacent the inclined discharge walls of the silo, because the bars on the wobble discs constitute an additional conveying device and support any movement of the tobacco in a downward direction towards the measuring roller. When the bars on the wobble discs move, however, from their lower position toward their upper position, then they lift the tobacco pile and perform a suificient loosening of the same so that the tobacco between the wobble discs and the measuring roller has always the desired looseness.

Concerning the size of the angles formed between the circumference of the measuring roller and the two adjacent walls of the silo, it has been discovered in practice that the angle is very favorable when the walls of the silo or the extension of these walls downwardly form with the circumference of the roller an angle of approximately 60 to 80. Furthermore, the wobble discs on one hand and the measuring roller below the same on the other hand should be arranged under consideration of the following observations:

If the downward extending walls of the silo would be radial with respect to the measuring roller, then the angles between these walls and the circumference of the measuring roller are sufficiently great, but the range of the area of the roller which would project into the container would not be large enough. If on the other hand, however, the inner walls of the silo would be arranged tangential to the circumference of the measuring roller then the mentioned angle would be too small and the aforementioned ditiiculties would occur. The most suitable ararngement lies approximately in the middle between these two limits.

The discharge device of the invention is particularly designed for the discharge of filler tobacco or inside leaf to the supply container of a cigar rolling machine. The last mentioned supply container is provided with a rotary impeller which supplies the tobacco continuously to an intermediate container, from the latter of which a scoop lifts the amount of tobacco requried for one cigar and delivers it to a suction head of the cigar rolling machine.

Another object of the invention is to provide the vanes of the impeller, which vanes form partitions of the supply container of the cigar rolling machine, with stops which actuate two pairs of switching contacts of a switching device which controls the tobacco supply. The switching contacts which, in their rest position are closed, have the purpose to start the operation of the electric motor for the measuring roller and the wobble discs arranged in the outlet of the silo and to close the other contacts which switch the operation of the suction line of the tobacco collecting container of the cigar rolling machine to auxiliary air.

The sensing contacts of the sensing device of the tobacco collecting container are arranged in series with the normally closed contacts of the switch for the motor circuit and are only closed when the tobacco collecting container is empty.

Wtih these and other objects in view the invention will now be described in connection with the accompanying drawing disclosing, by way of example, a few embodiments of the present invention.

FIGURE 1 illustrates diagrammatically a device of the present invention and also shows an electric circuit diagram.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view of the tobacco silo substantially along the line AB of FIGURE 3 and shows also the tobacco discharge elements.

FIGURE 3 is a top elevation view of the silo-like container,

FIGURE 4 illustrates diagrammatically a simplified electric circuit diagram.

FIG. 5 is an end view of the collecting container,

FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view of a modified construction of discharge roller, and

FIG. 7 shows an enlarged partial sectional view of the discharge roller and the adjacent wobble disc.

Referring to FIGURE 1, the silo-like container 1 is filled with tobacco and in the lower portion of this container is arranged a horizontal shaft 3 on which a number of wobble discs 2, are mounted which convey the tobacco to a lower horizontal discharge roller 5 provided on its circumference with a helical groove 4. When the shaft 3 is rotated the wobble discs 2 perform a back and forth movement in an axial direction so that the formation of bridge'like barriers in the tobacco mass within the silolike container is prevented.

In addition the wobble discs 2 perform the following functions which are particularly clear from FIGURES 2 and 3 of the drawings:

(1) They assist in the feeding of the tobacco into the helical groove 4 of the roller 5,

(2) They perform a loosening of the tobacco which is in the lower conical portion of the silo 1 and in view of the axial movement of the wobble discs a sufficient amount of tobacco will always be fed from the upper portion of the silo towards the lower portion of the same, and

(3) The circumferential edges 2' of the wobble discs 2 are positioned closely adjacent the circumference 5' of the lower roller 5 and, therefore, the edges 2 remove the projecting portions of the tobacco leaves which have been deposited in the groove 4 so that a clear cut separation takes place between the tobacco in the groove 4 and the tobacco still remaining in the container 1. This action prevents the tobacco from backing up when the groove 4 moves past the lower end in of the wall of the silo.

Each two adjacent wobble discs 2 are connected rigidly with each other by bars or bolts 27 which are arranged in spaced relation from the shaft 3, but parallel thereto. Furthermore, each two bars 27 which are connected to the same wobble disc 2, are displaced from each other a distance equal to On the circumference of the roller 5, which may be designated also as a measuring roller or a tobacco discharge roller, there is arranged a num er of small bars or rib projections 28 (FIGURES 6 and 7) which extend parallel to the axis of rotation of the roller 5. These bars or rib projections 28 assist in the discharge of the tobacco from the silo 1. In order to assure a complete filling of the helical groove 4 in the roller 5 in the range of the bars 23 the portions of the bars 28 above the groove 4 are cut away. The combined discharge of the tobacco from the silo 1, namely firstly by the groove 4 and secondly by the bars 28, has proven to be very effective. The groove 4 assures a continuous and uninterrupted discharge of tobacco and the bars or ribs 28 on the circumference of the roller 5 assure the formation of a. substantially fiat tobacco felt with very minor interruptions. Furthermore, the arrangement of the bars or ribs 23 has the advantage that larger portions of leaves which do not enter the groove 4 readily or do not enter the groove at all are seized by these bars or ribs 28 and then are discharged. The bars or ribs 28, so to speak, by means of their relatively sharp edges pull the tobacco readily from the supply in the silo 1.

The bars or rib projections 28 for seizing the tobacco may also be produced on the circumference of the measuring roller 5 by providing the roller 5 with longitudinal spaced apart grooves on the circumference so that between each two adjacent grooves there will be formed a rib shaped projection. This modified construction is then to be recommended when the bars are not to extend exactly axial, but when it is desired to make the bars somewhat helical in shape or when some other shape of the bars is desired.

At any rate, by means of the reinforcement bars 27 between the wobble discs 2 and the additional bars or rib projections 23 on the measuring roller 5, the time for feeding a predetermined amount of tobacco to the feed device arranged above the cigar rolling machine is substantially reduced.

During each rotation of the roller the tobacco is discharged uniformly from one end 5:: of the groove 4 to the other end 5b of the groove 4 and is conducted and deposited in uniform amounts into the suction fitting chamber 6 of the pneumatic conveyor pipe 16 which extends beneath the silo-likc container. When the end 512 of the groove 4 is emptied, the other end 5a of the groove 4 also empties into the suction fitting chamber 6 of the silo-like container without interruption. As shown in FIGURE 2, there is also provided a manually adjustable suction slide 7 for adjusting the suction. FIGURE 1 shows that the shaft 3 with the wobble discs 2 thereon and the roller 5 are driven by sprocket chain wheels 8 and 9 over which an endless sprocket chain 10 passes, which latter is driven by the electric motor 11. For the purpose of tensioning the chain 10 there is provided according to FIGURE 2 a suitable tensioning device 12 in the form of an idle sprocket wheel means (FIGURE 3). A blower 13 produces a suction or reduced pressure in the suction pipe 15 which is connected to a tobacco collecting and distributing container 14 in communication with the tobacco conveyor pipe 16. The tobacco collecting and distributing container 14 is provided with a screen which prevents the entrance of tobacco portions into the pipe 15. 1

The tobacco discharged from the lower end of the silo 1 enters the tobacco feed pipe 16 through the suction fitting chamber 6 and is conducted to the collecting container 14 and fills the lower distributor portion of the same which is separated from the upper suction portion by a screen and is provided with a flap door 14a. The collecting container 14 is arranged above the supply containers 17 of a cigar rolling machine Z. On the partitions 18 of the impeller 19 in the container 17 are arranged projections 20 which are provided for actuating a switch 21 which is provided with two pairs of contacts 21a and 21b of which the lower pair 21a is arranged in the circuit of the electric motor 11 while the upper pair of contacts 21b is arranged in the circuit of the control magnet 22 controlling the reduced pressure or suction in the container 14. In series with the switch contacts 211; of the switch 21 are arranged the switch contact terminals 231: of the sensing device 23. The circuit of the electric motor 11 will be interrupted upon separation of the terminals of contacts 23a which are adapted to be operated by a sensing device similar to the sensing device 256 shown in FIGURES 4 and 5.

The mechanism shown in FIGURE 1 operates as follows: When a projection 26 on one of the partitions 18 of the impeller 19 contacts and engages the switch lever 21c of the switch 21, the lever 210 is moved upwardly in a manner to close the contacts 21b and close a circuit from the source of electrical energy through the winding of the magnet 22. When this takes place, the control magnet 22 is energized and the result is that now the suction pipe 15 which is connected with one end of the tobacco collecting container 14 is shut ofi? by a throttle gate 30 which latter at the same time connects the pipe 15 and the collecting container 14 and the flap 14a, which normally is kept closed by the suction, is now opened so that the content of the collecting container 14 falls by gravity into an empty compartment of the supply container 17, which compartment is arranged below said flap 14a. During the continuous rotary movement of the impeller 19 by the motor of the cigar making machine (not shown) the projection 20 thereon permits a slight downward movement of the contact lever 21c when the projection 20 moves away from beneath the switch 21. When this takes place the control magnet 22 becomes deenergized, the connection between the collecting container 14 and the suction pipe 15 is rte-established. The member 39 which is controlled by the magnet 22 is adapted to block the flow of airinto member 15 and auxiliary air is admitted into member 14 through apertures (not shown). These features are described in said Patent No. 2,940,795.

Now the suction in the pipe causes the fiap 14a to b operated and moved to a closed position so that the collecting container 14 is closed. In the meantime the projection 29 has continued its movement and the contact lever 21c connects the two contacts 21a again so that at this point the circuit of the electric motor 11 is again closed. The same motor circuit, however, contains also the two contacts 23a of the sensing device 23 similar to the one shown in FIGURES 4 and 5 and these last men tioned contacts 23a serve the purpose of opening the motor circuit only when the collecting container 14' is filled with tobacco and to close the above mentioned motor circuit when the collecting container is empty. Since the collecting container, however, is empty when the two mentioned contacts 21a have been closed as just described, it follows that in this particular condition the contacts 23a are connected with each other. Therefore, the motor circuit is now closed at both points where it can be opened and since the motor circuit is now closed, the motor will operate and will rotate the measuring roller 5 and the wobble discs shaft 3 in the outlet end of the silo 1. Therefore, the suction fitting chamber 6 of the suction pipe 16 is again supplied with tobacco from the silo 1 and this tobacco is conveyed by the pipe 16 into the collecting container 14. The collecting container 14 and the control thereof by the contact device is constructed and arranged in substantially the same manner as is disclosed in the United States Patent 2,812,217 of November 5, 1957, and as described furthermore in the United States Patent No. 2,940,795. This last mentioned patent has been assigned to the assignee of the present application.

Referring to FIG. 5, the collecting container 14 is illustrated in an empty condition and the sensing element is in the position indicated in dash lines, and as shown in FIG. 4 the contact plates 26!; and 26c which are insulated from each other each engage their associated pairs of contacts. The projection 26 as a result of the rotation of the container 17 has raised the contact plate 25b of the switch 25 so that the two contacts 250, 25c are electrically connected With each other. This causes an energization of the entire system according to FIG. 4. The relay coil 25a also is energized and maintains the contact plate 25b in engagement with the two contacts 25c, 250, while the projection 24 travels with the container and in doing so leaves the range of the switch 25.

Since now the entire system is energized, the tobacco is discharged from the container 1 and the suction conveys the tobacco to the collecting container 14. When the latter is filled to the desired amount th sensing element has been moved by the tobacco into the dash and dot line position (FIG. 4) and causes an opening of the switch 25 in that the contact plates 26b and 26a interrupt the connections between their associated contacts. The entire system will now be without current. The contact plate 25b, owing to the deenergization of the relay coil 25a, drops away from the contacts 250, 25c. The container 14 is emptied and the sensing element moves again into the position shown in full lines in FIG. 5 so that the next projection 20 on the container 17 may again operate the switch for another working cycle.

In view of the short period during which the collecting container 14 is filled with tobacco, it is also possible to replace the just described circuit arrangement as illustrated in FIGURE 1 by another circuit arrangement described in FIGURE 4, in which the electric motor 11 and also the control magnet 22 is arranged parallel to the sources of current 24. In the supply line from the source of current 24 to the control magnet 22 and the electric motor 11 are arranged in series a cam operated switch 25 and a sensing switch 26. With the exception of a holding circuit associated with a relay 25a and the switch member 26a, and to be described hereinafter, there is then provided only a single circuit. The switching operation takes place in the following manner:

The rotating projections arranged within the range of the supply container 17 of the cigar making machine engage and move the switch lever 25b through vertical movement of the plunger 25d in engagement with the contacts 25c. The result is that the electric motor and the control magnet are energized. The electric motor 11 drives the wobble discs 2 and the measuring roller 5 and the control magnet 22 is actuated to effect a feeding of tobacco, so that the container 14 is filled with tobacco. Since the projections engage the lower end of the plunger 25d for a short engagement of the switch lever 2512 with the contacts 25c, there is provided the additional holding switch element 26, which is connected to a relay 25a which. is continuously energized so that the switch lever 25b is maintained in its closed position. When the container 14 is filled with tobacco the sensing element 252 operates the sensing switch 26 and opens the line which previously was closed by the switch levers 26b and 26c. This causes an opening of the line leading to the control magnet 22 and the electric motor 11 and also the line to the relay 25a which is then de-energized and opened.

It is obvious that in this manner only two switching operations take place, namely one operation for causing a feeding of tobacco and a filling of the collecting container 14, while the other operation effects a discontinuation of the tobacco feed, while at the same time the collecting container 14 is emptied.

With reference to the filling of one compartment be tween adjacent partitions 18 of the supply container 17 of the cigar making machine, the mentioned collecting container 14 when the latter is in position to fill one compartment between two partitions 18, will always empty into the same compartment namely when the collecting container is approximately positioned directly above the central portion of the mentioned compartment of the supply container 17. The construction and arrangement of the supply container 17 is substantially the same as described in the United States Patent No. 1,941,060 of December 26, 1936,

In actual practice it was discovered that the construction and arrangement of the discharge elements in the silo 1 is able to discharge tobacco from silos which have a considerable height, since the tobacco weight resting upon the mentioned discharge elements have no adverse efiect upon the operation of these discharge elements. If the silos are extremely high, however, it may be advisable to arrange the normally parallel walls of the silo somewhat inclined in a downward direction so that any dammingup of tobacco is prevented. The relatively low number of revolutions of the discharge roller 5 and in particular the rotation of the wobble discs 2, which make less than 20 revolutions per minute, and the stopping of these elements after each filling of the collecting container 14 assure a very tender treatment of the leafy tobacco material.

Furthermore, a silo provided with discharge elements according to the present invention has also been used with good success for the discharge of cut tobacco.

What we claim is:

1. In a device for supplying a cigar making machine with predetermined amounts of filler tobacco, the combination comprising a tobacco collecting container, a supply container for discharging predetermined amounts of tobacco into a tobacco supply container arranged below said tobacco, collecting container and above said cigar making machine, a silo containing a supply of tobacco arranged in a location remote from said cigar making machine, said silo being provided with means for discharging tobacco from the lower end of said silo, a pneumatic conveyor pipe connecting the lower discharge end of said silo with said tobacco collecting container, said means for discharging tobacco from said silo including a rotatable measuring roller having a lengthwise extending groove therein arranged in the lower end of said silo and a rotary tobacco feeding means arranged in said silo above said roller and closely positioned parallel thereto to remove projecting particles of filler tobacco from said groove and simultaneously agitate the tobacco in said silo, means for simultaneously driving said roller and feeding means, and electrically controlled means for automatically operating said driving means in response to the emptying of the tobacco in said tobacco collecting container into said tobacco supply container.

2. In a device for supplying a cigar making machine with predetermined amounts of filler tobacco, a silo for containing a supply of tobacco, means for discharging tobacco from the lower end of said silo including a rotatable measuring roller having a lengthwise extending groove on its circumference, said roller being arranged in the lower end of said silo, and means in said silo and above said roller for feeding tobacco to said measuring roller, said means comprising a driven shaft arranged in spaced parallel relation to said measuring roller and a plurality of wobble discs attached to said driven shaft and positioned with their circumference closely adjacent the circumference of said measuring roller, and means for simultaneously driving said measuring rollers and said driven shaft.

3. A device as claimed in claim 2, in which the lengthwise extending groove in said rotatable measuring roller is arranged helically.

4. A device as claimed in claim 2, in which said lengthwise extending groove in said rotatable measuring roller is a helical grove, the beginning and the end of which are arranged along a line which extends parallel to the axis of rotation of said measuring roller.

5. A device as claimed in claim 2, in which said plurality of wobble discs attached to said driven shaft are positioned with their circumference closely adjacent the circumference of said measuring roller, and reinforcement bars arranged in spaced and parallel relation to the axis of rotation of said driven shaft and connecting said wobble discs with one another.

6. A device as claimed in claim 2, in which said plurality of wobble discs attached to said driven shaft are positioned with their circumference closely adjacent the circumference of said measuring roller, and reinforcement bars arranged in spaced and parallel relation to the axis of rotation of said driven shaft and connecting said wobble discs with one another, each of two of said wobble discs being connected with each other by two of said parallel reinforcement bars and the two reinforcement bars attached to the same wobble discs being offset with respect to each other an angular distance equal to 7. A device as claimed in claim 2, including a rib shaped projection arranged on the circumference of said rotatable measuring roller, said rib shaped projection extending lengthwise of said measuring roller.

8. A device as claimed in claim 2, including a rib shaped projection arranged on the circumference of said rotatable measuring roller, said rib shaped projection extending lengthwise of said measuring roller, the portion of said rib shaped projection on said roller within the range of said lengthwise extending groove being cut away.

9. A device as claimed in claim 2, including rib shaped projection arranged on the circumference of said rotatable measuring roller, said rib shaped projection extending lengthwise of said measuring roller, said rib shaped projection on the circumference of said rotatable roller being formed by separate bars attached to the circumference of said roller in such a manner that the rib extends substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of said roller.

10. A device as claimed in claim 2, including rib shaped projections arranged on the circumference of said rotatable measuring roller, said rib shaped projections extending lengthwise of said measuring roller and are formed by a number of spaced apart grooves extending parallel to the axis of rotation of said roller.

11. A device as claimed in claim 2, including rib shaped projections arranged on the circumference of said rotatable measuring roller, said rib shaped projections extending lengthwise of said measuring roller and being formed by a number of spaced apart grooves extending helically around said roller.

12. A device as claimed in claim 1, in which said tobacco supply container includes a rotating impeller provided with vanes defining compartments therebetween, projections on said vanes, and a switching device actuated by said projections for controlling the tobacco feed to said pneumatic conveyor and to said tobacco supplying container.

13. A device as claimed in claim 12 wherein said switching device includes two pairs of contacts, one pair of which is normally closed while the other pair of contacts is normally open, said first pair being adapted to be connected to the circuit of an electric motor for operating said driving means, said other pair of contacts when closed being adapted to eifect the control of air movement in said suction line.

14. A device as claimed in claim 12, including a sensing device responsive to the amount of tobacco in said tobacco collecting container, said sensing device being provided with two sensing contacts which are closed when the tobacco collecting container is empty and will be opened when the tobacco collecting container is filled with tobacco, said two sensing contacts being adapted to be connected in the circuit of said electric motor.

' mounted on said shafts, the lowermost rotary member being provided with a longitudinal groove to receive measured quantities of tobacco to be discharged and supplied to the cigar wrapping machine, and the upper rotary member of the discharge means constisting of a series of wobble discs mounted upon the corresponding rotary shaft for rotation therewith andarranged so that the circumferential edges of the discs are positioned closely adjacent the lowermost rotary member and remove excess tobacco from the longitudinal measuring groove therein.

16. In a supply container as set forth in claim 15 characterized in that the groove in the circumferential surface of the lower rotary member is arranged in a waveshaped are such that an imaginary straight line from the beginning of the groove to the end thereof forms a straight line which extends parallel to the axis of the roller.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 260,958 Emery July 11, 1882 740,699 Schrader Oct. 6, 1903 1,559,266 Liberman Oct. 27, 1925 1,937,158 Lorentz Nov. 28, 1933 1,941,429 Berger Dec. 26, 1933 1,952,336 Schneider Mar. 27, 1934 2,152,632 Cassiere Apr. 4, 1939 2,310,460 Randolph Feb. 9, 1943 2,795,229 Dearsley June 11, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 366,046 Great Britain 1932 

